On the second day after the end of the Battle of Baotou, the Northwest Group Army of the Eighth Route Army launched a battle plan to go north to capture Datong. To attack Datong, it is necessary to attack Shuozhou in the southeast of Datong, which is a strategic point leading to Datong. Shuozhou is the pass of the Guanqin Mountains running north-south, and the Wutai Mountains are in the east. Occupying this place can not only ensure the stability of Datong, but also cut off the connection between the Japanese army in Taiyuan and Datong. The stakes in this battle are very important, and the capture of Shuozhou can not only smoothly open up the passage for attacking Datong, but also help outflank Taiyuan from the north.

Obviously, going north to attack Datong, Shuozhou is a hard bone in front of Lin, so it is imperative to conquer Shuozhou. At present, Lin's military deployment is as follows: Chen Guang's division of the 1st Army, Yang Dezhi's division of the 2nd Army, and the 1st Independent Artillery Division, which crossed the Yellow River from Fugu in northern Shaanxi and mainly attacked the direction of Datong. Yang Chengwu of the 3rd Army, the 4th Army and the 5th Army crossed the river from the middle of the Yellow River to Taiyuan. The three independent divisions of the Taiyue Column, under the leadership of Xu Shiyou, held back the Japanese troops in Taiyuan and Yangquan respectively in mobile operations on the front line of Zhoushan, and put on a posture of attacking Taiyuan.

The Independent Cavalry Division of the Northwest Army of the Eighth Route Army, the 3rd Tank Regiment of the Tank Brigade, and the 2nd Independent Artillery Division were used as reserve units of the Group Army Headquarters. The air force unit of the Northwest Group Army of the Eighth Route Army supported the operations of various units. According to the intelligence, Shuozhou was defended by a brigade of the Japanese army. The 1st Division of the 1st Army was responsible for conquering Shuozhou and ensuring that the main force launched a smooth attack on Datong.

The battle began, and it was extraordinarily spectacular. Once upon a time, the troops of the Eighth Route Army were able to launch attacks on the Japanese army in a three-dimensional combat mode, as if the world was turning backwards. Therefore, the officers and men of the Eighth Route were full of confidence and their desire to fight was high.

In the past, the Japanese army's attacks were reckless and reckless, and they could fight whatever they wanted in heaven and on earth. It can be said that it has been 30 years in Hedong and 30 years in Hexi, and now it is the turn of the Eighth Route Army to launch an attack. In order to win the first battle, Shuozhou was taken heartily, and an artillery brigade supported the operation, including a heavy artillery regiment. In addition, the Air Force of the Eighth Route Army invested more than 20 bombers to bomb the Japanese defense area in Shuozhou indiscriminately.

The scene of the attack that day shook the mountains, and the dense artillery fire smashed into the Japanese occupation like hail. The officers and men of the Eighth Route who were waiting for the attack at the forward positions listened to the thunderous artillery bombardment and witnessed the majestic posture of the bombers diving.

Excitement and pride were intertwined, and such a battle was simply too luxurious for the officers and soldiers of the Eighth Route who were accustomed to living a hard life. Maybe it's too optimistic, maybe it's too reliant on strong fire support. After three consecutive days of fighting, the Japanese defense was very tenacious, and the offensive was repeatedly blocked, and only part of the surface positions were taken. Shuozhou was a strategic location, and the Japanese army worked hard to manage it. Especially in the past two years, the Japanese army has entered a comprehensive defense, and built a large number of reinforced concrete fortifications in Shuozhou, and the hidden forts and tunnels are all over the place. The bombardment and artillery fire looked shocking, but the strike efficiency was not high. The fierce offensive of the Eighth Route Army was broken down again and again.

The Eighth Route Army suddenly launched an attack on Shuozhou, which caught Itako Seishiro a little off guard. The enemy army did not launch an attack on Taiyuan, and the intention was very obvious, that is, to cut off the connection between Datong and Taiyuan. If the enemy takes Shuozhou and waves his troops to Datong, Taiyuan will lose its northern wings, and its powerful arms will be broken, and Taiyuan will inevitably be alone. To this end, Itako Seishiro ordered to defend the 102nd Independent Brigade of Shuozhou, and defend it at any cost. At the same time, the Datong Japanese army was ordered to reinforce Shuozhou and strive to ensure that Shuozhou was not lost.

After 5 days of fierce fighting, there was no progress in the battle. Everyone in the headquarters was in a bad mood. With such a powerful firepower, it was actually scorched. At this time, Lin sat in his chair and said nothing, and the combat staff officers were busy, and the sound of answering the phone came and went. Chief of Staff Zuo Quan held a telegram in his hand and reported: "Chen Guang called, the attack of the 1st Division was blocked again, and the casualties were heavy. Intelligence showed that the Japanese army had come up with reinforcements from the direction of Datong, and it seemed that Banheng was going to defend Shuozhou. ”

Lin Wen stood up and walked a few steps and said, "Defending Shuozhou is not necessarily a bad thing for us. It can now be confirmed that our target was not aimed at Taiyuan but at Datong, which disrupted Banheng's military deployment to the surprise of Banheng. At present, our main corps is on the offensive, and the Japanese army in Taiyuan cannot draw a single soldier. The Japanese army sent troops from the direction of Datong to support, which was not a tactic of filling oil. In that case, we will consume his forces in Shuozhou. This has created conditions for us to quickly win Datong in the next step.

"Mr. Lin's intention is to delay the attack on Shuozhou and make the Japanese army miscalculate!" Chief of Staff Zuo Quan asked. Lin nodded and continued: "Order Chen Guang, in order to reduce casualties, change from daytime attacks to nighttime attacks." I judge that the military supplies stockpiled by the Japanese army in Shuozhou can only meet the needs of one brigade and regiment, and if the Japanese army continues to increase its troops, there will be problems with its logistical supply. Send a report to Nie Rongzhen and ask the air force to focus on air raids on the Japanese army's transportation lines. In addition, let Chen Guang send a small force to attack his convoy. ”

"Mr. Lin, did you convey your intentions to Chen Guang?" "No need, let him keep the pressure on so as not to slack off. As for how to increase the intensity of the attack to avoid casualties, let him figure it out himself! "Lin is good at changing moves when the battle situation is unfavorable, which is his specialty. Since this bone in Shuozhou is difficult to gnaw, let's gnaw it little by little. "Obviously, in the face of the Japanese army, we cannot use too much force, after all, the Japanese army is strong in combat. Before the war, Lin thought about the difficulties of fighting the Japanese army. Fighting the Japanese army, even if the position is breached, the Japanese army will not collapse.

This attack encountered difficulties from the very beginning, and it was under a completely superior situation, which not only tested the combat effectiveness of the field troops of the Eighth Route Army, but also as the supreme commander of the campaign, how great the pressure on Lin could be imagined. The continuous attack was blocked, but it stimulated Lin's potential, and then made him bold to change his moves. After the Eighth Route Army changed to a night attack, Lin did not repeatedly order the attacking troops to achieve a certain combat mission. The pressure on the front-line troops has dropped sharply, but the front-line commanders have been able to command the operation with ease.

In the headquarters of the Japanese army in Taiyuan, the atmosphere was extremely tense. Every hour, the battle was reported. After 10 days of fierce fighting, the Japanese defenders in Shuozhou fought bloodily and repelled the attacks of the Eighth Route Army again and again, which seemed to be impregnable. However, the situation did not improve, and the enemy army adopted the tactics of attacking in turns, especially at night, and the Japanese defensive positions were lost little by little, and the Japanese army's battle losses continued to increase. At this time, Itayoko Seishiro had a tiger face, his eyes were staring at the military map, and he felt a trace of danger.

"Your Excellency, the 102nd Independent Brigade, with one-third of the battle losses. At present, the 163rd Brigade of the 82nd Division has successively reinforced Shuozhou from Datong, and the position has been stabilized. According to the enemy's attack, the defense of Shuozhou became more and more solid. However, enemy bombers constantly attacked the transport lines, and the enemy sent small units to constantly attack the transport units. At present, Shuozhou's military supplies can only meet the operational needs of the two brigades and regiments for one month. It's not going to be easy to do after a month. The Chief of Staff of the Japanese Army reported.

"Order the commander of the Ohara Division to send a field wing to escort military supplies. In order to deal with the air raids of the Eighth Route Army, Xiao Yuan captured a large number of civilians and mixed them with the escort troops. I'm here to see how long the Eighth Route Army can hold out. Itako Seishiro gritted his teeth, he was determined to become famous in a war and forge the soul of the Japanese Empire in Shanxi. Especially in the critical period when the Japanese army was declining, it was very important for the Japanese army to win a victory in defensive operations. In fact, Okamura Ninji also needs the experience of Shanxi's defensive operations, and needs to reassess the combat effectiveness of the Eighth Route Army.

The Japanese army forcibly recruited a large number of civilians and mixed with the transport troops, which did play a role. When the bomber pilot found that a large number of civilians were mixed with the Japanese transport troops, he had to report to the command, and in this case, Lin had to cancel the air raid on the Japanese transport line. The cunning Japanese army used such a bad tactic to resolve the shortage of military supplies in Shuozhou. The attack was still tedious and scorched, and the Japanese morale was greatly boosted, and they actually launched a counterattack to fight for the lost positions.

After 20 days of continuous attack, only the outlying positions of the Japanese army were broken through. The situation could not be opened for a long time, and all the generals were cast a shadow on their hearts. Inside the headquarters, the atmosphere was extremely tense, and through the expressions of the combat staff officers, it could be judged that the battle situation was very unfavorable. But Lin's expression was very relaxed, and he seemed to be confident. "Mr. Lin, Chen Guang's three divisions have been fighting in turns, do you want to withdraw and let the 2nd Army go up." "Is it that Chen Guang is discouraged and tells him to continue the offensive and not give the Japanese army any respite."

Lin continued: "The enemy has changed, I have changed, let the director of intelligence come quickly!" "The Chief of Intelligence will report in a moment." What do you tell us about the situation of the Japanese army in Datong? "According to the information we have, before the war, the 82nd Division of the Japanese Army was stationed in Datong, and the 102nd Independent Brigade was stationed in Shuozhou. After the Battle of Shuozhou began, the 163rd Brigade of the 82nd Division of the Japanese Army successively reinforced Shuozhou. At present, the regimental headquarters of the 82nd Division of the Japanese Army, the 164th Brigade and a heavy artillery brigade, and the engineer wing are stationed in Datong. In order to ensure the smooth operation of the transportation line between Datong and Shuozhou, the Japanese army dispatched a field wing to serve as an escort mission, and this was the case. ”

After the intelligence chief left, Lin took a few steps and said, "Now that the time is ripe, I have decided to make a long-distance attack on Datong." Everyone gasped when they heard this, and Chief of Staff Zuo Quan said: "Mr. Lin, it is easy to send a force to intersperse in a roundabout way, but in the face of the fortress fortifications in Datong, the troops in a roundabout way have no heavy weapons and no artillery support. Even if all the bomber support is mobilized, it will not be able to conquer Datong. Lin said easily: "This is called surprise, unpreparedness, the Japanese army would never have imagined that Shuozhou would not be captured, and they would attack Datong." ”

"At present, the Japanese army in Datong is empty, and the conditions for our attack have been met. Chief of staff, you probably forgot, our tank unit is in Baotou. The terrain north of Datong is open, which is very suitable for tank troops. As long as our tank troops advance at high speed and quickly attack under Datong City, what will happen if another force appears at this time? "Tanks can attack and artillery support, wonderful! Mr. Lin, did you think about it a long time ago? "This was forced by the Japanese army, and long-distance raids are our old traditions, and the old traditions must be carried forward."

"Mr. Lin, how many troops do you plan to use?" "At least two divisions, chief of staff, give operational orders!." Chief of Staff Zuo Quan shouted loudly: "Someone! ”